About
this day, Abbot Prosper Guéranger comments how the Blessed Virgin Mary,
whom God predestined to be the Mother of His Son, was united in her
person to the life, mysteries and suffering of Jesus, so that she might
be a faithful cooperator in the work of Redemption.
He notes that
God must consider suffering to be a great good since He gave so much
suffering to His Son, Whom He loved so much. And since, after His Son,
God loved Our Lady more than any other creature, He also wanted to give
her suffering as the richest of all presents.
On the solemnity of
this feast, we primarily remember Mary on Calvary where she suffered
the supreme sorrow of all sorrows that filled her life. Indeed, so great
was Mary's grief on Calvary that, had it been divided among all
creatures capable of suffering, it would have caused them all to die
instantly.
If the Church limits the number of sorrows to seven,
it is because this number has always symbolized the idea of totality and
universality. To understand the extent and suffering of Our Lady, one
must know the extent of her love for Jesus. Her love as Mother of God
only augmented her suffering. In fact, nature and grace came together to
produce profound impressions on the heart of Mary. Nothing is stronger
and more pressing than the love that nature gives a mother for her son
or that grace gives for God.
These considerations help us understand the role of suffering in our lives.
We
see we are not alone in our suffering. In fact, the immensity of the
crosses suffered by Our Lady was so great that we might also say she
suffered not seven, but all sorrows. She is Our Lady of All Sorrows
since no one suffered more.
While
it is true that all generations will call her "blessed," to a lesser
but immensely real degree, all generations may also call her
"sorrowful."
Thus, we need to understand better that when sorrow
enters our lives, it is a proof of God's love. And when we are not
visited with sorrow, we do not have all the proofs of God's love for us.
It is in sorrow that our mettle is tested. Moreover, one finds a note
of maturity, stability and rationality in those who suffer and who
suffer much. And so we should understand that when adversity,
difficulties, misunderstandings, bad health and conflicts visit us, we
must not see them as things that should never happen. To suffer is
normal in this vale of tears.
If she, whom God loves so much,
suffered, how much more should we suffer. The one who is loved by God
and Our Lady suffers because God will not refuse to give him that which
He gave abundantly to the two whom He loved most: Our Lord Jesus Christ
and Our Lady.
Thus, we must see temptations, trials, stress and
so many other sufferings as something normal in life. We must ask that
sufferings pass but when they persist, we must bless God and Our Lady.
Photos by: Mflito
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